Starring Marc Tyler Nobleman, Athena Finger
This documentary is three stories in one. It is the story of Bill Finger, the co-creator of Batman. It is the story of Marc Tyler Nobleman's efforts to learn more about Bill Finger and share that knowledge with the world. It is the story of Athena Finger, Bill's granddaughter, and her efforts to get Bill officially recognized as the co-creator of Batman.
Bob Kane, the better known co-creator of Batman, does not come off looking good (in any way, shape, or form) in this movie. He kept Bill Finger in the dark. Finger's name in connection with the creation of Batman first came to the comic book reading public's attention in 1965, 26 years after Batman was created. Kane fought any attempts to prove that he was not the sole creator of Batman from then forward. Kane was very well compensated once Batman became a pop culture phenomenon starting in the mid-1960s. He admitted, late in life, in print, that Bill Finger deserved more credit than he received but he never did anything to correct the record or compensate Bill for his share of Batman.
I found this story to be very compelling. I like the way that the story (or stories) unfolded. It was easy to follow. There is archival video and audio as well as contemporary clips. Marc Tyler Nobleman is the central character in this story. The story revolves around Bill but Marc is the driving force behind the story and the movie. There is lots of footage of him telling his story directly to the camera. Animation is used to help tell the story. There are a number of well known people in the comic book industry who were interviewed for this movie including Roy Thomas, Michael Uslan, Todd McFarlane, and Kevin Smith.
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